"Buccellato or Cucciddàtu"

Till today it is possible to see, in Sicily, the figs, sun-dried and threaded together with a very long string or “incannati”, that is threaded on reed skewers. A certain amount of them will be used in winter to make the “buccellati”, Christmas sweets. That until today compete in a honourable way with the “Panettone” and “Pandoro” coming from the North of Italy. The “cucciddatu” has a very ancient origin. Surely the roman “Panificatus” is its ancestor. Its name came after the late Latin “Buccellatum”, that is bread to turn into “Buccelli” or bites, for its tenderness. Several are the versions, depending on the shape and on the size: around Palermo the “ammara-panza” are poor quality of “buccellati” used just to fill the stomach.

INGREDIENTS

For 4 servings:
300 Gr flour
125 Gr Butter
50 Gr sugar
1 spoonful Marsala wine
300 Dried figs
200 Gr raisin
100 Gr sultana
50 Gr shelled walnuts
30 Gr pine-seeds
30 Gr candied orange peel
50 Gr “Zuccherata”
3 Cloves.

Put in a bowl flour, butter, sugar and a spoonful of Marsala and mix all by hands. Let the mixture stand for about 1 hour and after roll the pastry with the rolling pin. In the meantime prepare the stuffing: mince very thinly and mix dried figs, raisin, sultana, almonds, pine seeds, orange peel, zuccherata, cloves and a pepper pinch. Mix a bit of sugar, too. Put the filling on the pastry, roll it like a tube and give to the sweet a ring-shape. Make small cuts on it. Brush the sweets with egg yolk and bake for 20 min. Once cold, decorate with icing sugar, pistachio pieces and candied fruit.